July 2012-Feb 2013 MOTHERCARE plc
Interim CFO
• LSE quoted global retailer, wholesaler: c1400 shops, turnover £1.2bn and 4,000 employees.
Key Achievements:
• Successfully guided the Main Board and business through the difficult initial period of an operational turnaround.

Mar 2012-June 2012 GAME GROUP plc/GAME RETAIL LIMITED
Chief Restructuring Officer
• LSE quoted video games retailer: 600+ UK shops; 7,000 UK employees; administrators appointed in late March.
Key Achievements:
• Assisted financial advisers/administrators (PwC) in successful “going concern” sale of the business to OpCapita.

Nov 2011¬¬-Feb 2012 BLACKS LEISURE GROUP plc
Interim Finance Director (reporting to CEO and Chairman)
• LSE quoted outdoor retailer: 300 shops; peak market cap £250m; turnover £200m; 3,500 employees.
• Severe liquidity issues from Spring 2011.
• Business sold early January, via a pre-packaged administration, for £20m to JD Sports.
Key Achievements:
• Effectively guided the Main Board and business through a very demanding and hazardous period.
• Project managed all workstreams (and all group and bank advisers) to a positive conclusion.

May 2010-Apr 2011 FINDEL plc
Chief Restructuring Officer (reporting to Chairman)
• LSE quoted multi-channel retailer; peak market cap. £700m; turnover £600m; 3,000 employees; debt of £400m.
• Introduced by Deloitte, PwC and KPMG in May 2010 to lead: restructure of £280m of bank debt and £105m trade debtor securitisation facility.
Key Achievements:
• Managed disposal of several non-core cash flow negative group businesses (Webb, Confetti, IWOOT).
• Assisted group advisers (Greenhill, Clifford Chance) in devising several financial restructuring options.
• Project managed all workstreams to a successful conclusion.
• March 2011: another £80m from shareholders; new 5-year bank facilities; bank debt for equity swap and bank debt paydown of £40m; new Group CEO and FD appointed.

Feb 2009-Dec 2009 GLADEDALE GROUP
Chief Restructuring Officer (reporting to Chairman)
• Privately owned, national house building and property development company, top ten of the UK’s leading house builders: turnover £700m; 1,900 employees and debt of £1.2bn (all LBG).
• Introduced by Deloitte February 2009, plus new Chairman and Group Company Secretary, to lead: restructure of £1.2bn of secured bank debt and transfer of ownership of 5 sub-groups to bank.
Key Achievements:
• August 2009: £530m debt/equity swap and £640m of new long-term secured debt facilities.
• Project managed all workstreams (and all group and bank advisers) to a positive conclusion.

 

Oct 2007-Nov 2008 ERINACEOUS GROUP plc/CALEY LIMITED
Group Finance Director (reporting to CEO)
• LSE quoted UK property services group: market cap. £400m, turnover £270m and 3,500 employees.
• Introduced by Deloitte in early October 2007, with a new CEO, to lead: restructure of £205m of secured bank debt (Lloyds, HBoS, HSBC); business turnarounds; several large and complicated financial claims.
• After 7 months and £30m+ of new bank money, in April 2008: administration of parent and non-core businesses and “pre-pack” of three divisions to bank-owned SPV, Caley Ltd, for £125m.
Key Achievements:
• Effectively guided the Main Board and business through a very demanding and hazardous initial period.
• Managed property and asset realisations to support the group’s short-term cash flow.
• Assisted group advisers (Deloitte, Close Brothers, Ashurst) in devising financial restructuring options.
• Retained for further five months to transition, integrate and separate the bank-owned businesses.

• FTSE 250 support services group: market cap. £0.5bn, turnover £1.2bn and 9,000 employees.
• Radical restructuring in previous few years; change from traditional construction to service business.
Key Achievements:
• Successful transition to a new business sector.
• Refinanced in January 2006: enlarged facilities by £30m to £135m.
• Managed IT investment in SAP and finance systems; oversaw material business acquisitions.
• Uncovered, and led forensic investigation into, highly collusive and long-standing material fraud in very small, legacy, Slate subsidiary; delivered subsequent £180m emergency re-financing (April 2007).